"Riku. You came to get me didn't you? Moron."

Riku's heart raced. So she WAS here! He gathered his strength and pulled himself to his feet. And there she was a few feet before him. Alive. Unharmed, as far as he could tell. It was like she hadn't jumped off the wall...

He remembered she'd never hit the ground. Still, there WAS something different about her. He looked at her hard. Same raven hair, same tall stature, same tan skin. Then, it hit him. Her pale green eyes, her mother's eyes... they were gone. Her eyes were yellow now, the color of honey. Riku swallowed.

"Yeah. I did. Karen is going crazy with out you there. You mean more to her than you think you do," said Riku, taking a step to her. He blinked... "What?!" he thought. She wasn't there! Just a split second before, she had been standing before him. But flash, bang, skip... she was gone.

Hot breath on his neck, a chuckle. A flash of light behind him and a metallic noise. The unmistakable sound of a Keyblade being summoned.

"Karen..." chuckled Emi from behind him, one hand grasping his arm tightly. "She won't have to worry much longer about anything. Neither will the key... or you for that matter."

"The key... you mean Sora?" asked Riku. Emi nodded, her cheek rubbing against his ear.

"Do you want to know what I'm going to do? Surely you know.. I'm going to kill you."

Riku closed his eyes. This wasn't Emi. Adruptly though, Emi jerked away from him.

"Xemnas," she said, with surprise. Something else lingered in her voice, although Riku couldn't quite place it.

Xemnas' loud foot steps echoed around the soundless place.

Riku turned slowly around. With a smirk and a wave of his gloved hand, the air around Emi shimmered and she was frozen in time. She was totally still, looking straight ahead. The look in her eyes was a mixture of surprise and adoration, her palms open at her side where she had dropped them.

"Charming girl," said Xemnas, looking over Emi. "Useful. She fits the bill perfectly for my plan."

"What have you done to her?" growled Riku, his voice shaking in rage.

Xemnas looked almost wounded. "Oh, nothing much. Just added a few things. Took a few things out."

"What kind of things?"

"Oh... all those memories her idiot of a father hid from her. You do know what he did didn't he?"

"No."

"Used his computers to alter his own, his only daughter's memories. Her past... gone. He programmed her a false past. And when the boy, Roxas, was born... he moved his daughter and the Keyhole to the virtual Twilight Town. Used the witch Namine to once again alter their memories until their subconcious minds were a jumble of broken chains and shattered pieces of their past."

Xemnas chuckled, circling Riku. Riku's gaze fluttered over to Emi and then back to Xemnas, as he came to stand in front of him.

"I don't understand really... why she wanted to come look for him anyway... she said so herself, inside her heart. She hated him," Xemnas continued. "But she did. She came here, thinking she would find her father. Of course, once she got here, she had fallen into my trap already."

"...trap?" asked Riku, feeling naive and stupid. Had he also fallen into the trap?

"Oh yes. I've been watching Emi for a long time. Ever since you and Sora brought her and the Keyhole out of that virtual world. I sensed her heart, even from here. She has such a weak heart. And with the Door to Light open and all of those marvelous shadows leaking in... it was only a matter of time before Emi gave in to the pull. That's when I began to formulate my plan..."

"What plan?" shouted Riku.He gritted his teeth. He wanted to summon his keyblade... but he couldn't.

"Oh, I'm not going to tell you. I don't want you to run off and tell your little friends... even if you do survive what's coming," chuckled Xemnas, walking back to Emi. Riku wanted to chase him, but he was stuck to the floor. Xemnas brushed Emi's jaw with his knuckles, gently pressed his lips against her exposed forehead. She came to again, blinking and then staring at Xemnas.

"Do what must be done, my love," he whispered. He looked at Riku, and Emi followed his gaze. Her eyes widened in anticapation, and she she grinned. Almost needily. Bloodlust burned in her eyes. Xemnas stepped into a dark portal and it was once again just Emi and Riku in the soundless, dark marble hall.

Emi summoned her keyblades. The one in her left hand, dark and burning like mangled steel in the aftermath of a train wreck. The one in her right hand, colorful and round. Reminiscent of the butterflies she adored so much in her old life. She hefted them up, and said "Like them? They were a gift from Xemnas. He's given me many things... these blades, training... the love I so yearned for back in...your...world... but most of all he gave me the truth."

She teleported again, using the dash Zexion had taught her. She was behind him, and he turned to face her.

"He unlocked all of my memories using his magic. I know my past. He told me what you and Sora did. They were just looking for a way to get hearts, Riku. All they wanted was to be whole, to feel emotions... happiness....sadness... hate...love. But you and Sora stopped them when they were so, so close. I'm going to help them now. First, I'm going to get rid of you. Then, I'm going to let these poor souls go," Emi told him.

"Emi, don't. You don't know what you're doing. You're possessed by him, just stop now!" shouted Riku.

Emi raised the dark blade and hit him with an orb of black energy.

"I'm going to help them exact their revenge. I'm going to help them get hearts. Then, Xemnas is going to help me find my father. We can all be whole again... but not with you and Sora and Karen trying to stop us like we know you will. We are going to make this world perfect, Riku. Now, stand and fight!"

Riku stood.

Emi rushed.

~

"See I told you everything was going to be okay."

Lies.

Although, Karen allowed herself a small smile. As far as she knew, it wasn't a lie.

There really was a chance they could find Emi. Alive. And then they could go on with this crazy mission.

A little bit of light had returned to Karen's eyes.

~

Sora searched frantically around the Postern, even though he knew what he saw.

Riku had done it. He had given into those shadows again... to find Emi.

"Why Riku? We were supposed to do this as a team!" Sora shouted at the empty spot where his friend used to lay sprawled on the puddled stone.

Of course... he knew why.

Guilt. Responsibility.

Back home on the island, Sora had always been the irresponsible one. Not Riku. So it made sense. Riku just wanted to set things right. Of course.

But what if there was something else? All this time... had he wanted to give into the darkness so badly?

How hard had it pulled on his confused heart... how long?

Sora walked back to Merlin's house.

How much longer till they could save the world?

The universe...

...how much longer could they wait?

~

Coming at him full blast, so fast an image of herself stayed behind for a split second.

A barrage of attacks, knocking him back and into the air. He couldn't get out of it.

He screamed. Blades hitting his ribs, certainly breaking a few.

He hit the marble floor and coughed up blood.

Emi skipped back lightly, swinging the blades back around into their ready position. Riku pulled himself up, holding a hand to his side. Blood trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth. His head spun, and his eyes couldn't focus on Emi rushing him again. This time...

flash, flash...

attacks from behind. Flinging him up into the air, higher higher. He seemed to be floating on his back, his mind and body numb.

The body can't seem to take that much pain.

He was vulnerable. He couldn't fight back. No weapons.

He couldn't fight her anyway. It's not that he lacked skill...

...he lacked resolve. He just couldn't stand to hit her.

His heart was in a strange place, too.

It didn't WANT to be in the dark. So much time spent in shadows had torn it apart, and the light had healed it.

And now, old wounds were opening and it hurt so bad.

Floating, floating. Numb. He didn't feel the pain of the attacks, only the pressure as they impacted.

Suddenly, with a flame of neon purple, Emi was on top of him.

In the split second before, Riku could ALMOST see the old Emi, as he stared up into her eyes. The seconds seemed like hours, as the were held there by the momentum of Emi's attacks. Slow motion...

She looked at him... with pity? With regret?

But the look passed away from her face, to be replaced with agonizing hatred.

She flipped the blades 'round in her hand, pointing downwards.

This was it, the finishing move.

Both blades came down hard on his face and chest, and time snapped back into motion.

He found himself screaming down to Earth...

...awaiting impact and sweet release from the pain.

His body was numb. Not to say his heart and soul weren't.

~

Karen felt an anticaption.... a suspense..

...in her heart of hearts.

Her hands clasped in her lap, her clear blue eyes turned upwards.

"Karen?" said Aerith. Far away.

"Where am I?" Karen whispered to the white roses falling against her.

The velvety petals sparked against her skin. She shimmered in a pure white dress, her hair floating around her etherally.

She looked softly, with some sort of ferocity, into the stark white around her.

Petals stuck to her hair as she took Riku's trembling hand....

~

Emi fell back down to earth, with a hard thump as her feet landed.

She put her blades away.

"That takes care of that," she murmured, smirking. Satisfied.

Something fell at her feet, stark white against the black marble. Emi leaned down and observed it closer.

"A rose petal?" said Emi, sneering. And another. And another. Two landed in her raven hair as she heard Riku groan from pain.

She looked up and saw...

...an angel? A ghost?

A form in a flowing white kimono, brown hair floating around her body like it had a mine of it's own. Standing at Riku's side, looking down on him softly.

Riku, lying on his back, extended a hand towards the heavenly being.

"How can you be here?" he said, his voice soft. "This is a place of darkness."

"A candle lights the night and elimanates the darkness around it," said the form, taking Riku's hand.

Riku disinigrated into white rose petals. The disenigration spread like a virus, from the clasped hands down, taking his whole body.

Emi watched in disgust as the petals fell to Earth.

The figure in white turned and started at Emi cooly.

"You'll come back," she said.

Emi's eyes widened in realisation. Something from before broke free.

"K.... Karen..." she breathed.

By the time she got the word out though, the girl was gone.

She left only a single white rose to mark her presence there.

Emi walked to the rose. And stepped on it, using the toe of her boot to grind it into the marble.

~

Riku regained consciousness in the bed at Merlin's.

Sora was looking over him worried.

"Where's..." he started to say.

"Emi's not here. She didn't come back with you."

"Not Emi. Karen. Where's Karen?"

"She asleep. In the chair," explained Sora. "It's night time. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," groaned Riku. His ribs were still sore and it hurt to breathe.

"Aerith and Merlin are doing all they can for you. Karen showed up at the door, with your hanging on to her shoulder. She passed out at the door and Leon and Cid had to help me carry you two in. Looks like you got beat pretty badly wherever you went... what happened?"

"I found her, Sora. Emi. She's in the world of darkness, but it doesn't look good."

"Why?"

"She's possessed, I think. Just like I was. She's possessed by Xemnas, he's got her wrapped around his little finger."

"Crap."

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Well... I went to the world of darkness. She met me there. Xemnas showed up, and explained to me that he had unlocked all of Emi's memories. He told me that Ansem had altered her memories using computers and Namine, both Emi and Karen. Apparently, they were moved into the virtual Twilight Town from somewhere else when Roxas showed up, and Ansem used Namine to clear and alter their memories."

"Wow," sighed Sora.

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. He told me Emi had 'fallen into his trap', and that he was planning something."

Sora jumped up.

"Xemnas is planning something!?" he shouted.

Riku motioned for Sora to quiet down, and Sora sat down on the bed.

"I don't know what, though. He wouldn't tell me. I don't think he was expecting me to make it past Emi, but he still didn't tell me."

"Make it past Emi? You mean Xemnas didn't beat you?"

"Yeah. I couldn't summon my Keyblade there. I had no way to fight back... not to mention I couldn't bring myself to retaliate against her."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't. All I could do was just let her hit me."

"She hit you hard," chuckled Sora.

Riku glared at him, but smirked.

"You need more sleep. Aerith and Merlin are going to be back soon with more potions."

"Where are Yuffie and Squall? And Cid?"

"Cid had something to repair. Some wired shorted out in the shower. And Squall and Yuffie are out patrolling. Nessacary without the town security system," explained Sora.

Riku nodded, dozing off. Sora stood up from the bed to check on Karen.

She trembled under the light blanket. Her eyes opened.

"Hey, you're awake!" said Sora cheerfully, smiling at her.

Karen also smiled, sleepily.

"I saw her, Sora. She's still alive."

"What happened? I came back to the house, and Yuffie was going crazy. Aerith didn't look to happy either. They said you just dissapeared. All that was left in the chair was white rose petals.

"I really am the Keyhole, Sora. I know that now. I sensed Riku needed help, so I went to help him. And even in that place, corroded with evil shadows... there was still light. I was light. For the moments I was there, the darkness around me and Riku dissapeared."

"You know.... the brighter the light is Karen, the bigger the shadows."

"I don't care about that Sora. There has to be a balance right?"

"Right."

Sora patted Karen's hand.